Elections Lab Online (ELO) in 2023 & 2024
Throughout 2023 and 2024, many players eagerly engaged with Elections Lab Online (or as we darlingly call it: ELO). We have been presenting, playing, testing, or playtesting the ELO game numerous times. During one of those recent events, I stumbled across the notes from our ELO experience at the 9th Annual Ed Games Expo. I wrote diligently but had no time to share. Until now.
John F Kennedy Performing Arts Center REACH
Skylight Pavilion at the John F. Kennedy Performing Arts Center REACH was beautiful: spacious, clean, bright, and sunlit. The morning session has ended. Fellow innovators and entrepreneurs were starting to reorganize the room and settling into their new locations for the afternoon session. Colleagues who attended the Civic Learning Innovation Showcase at the Library of Congress have been heading back for the afternoon sessions.
Potomac River: the “Nation’s River” & a Moment of Mindfulness
I was basking in a moment of relative calmness. A huge floor-to-ceiling wall of windows offered a beautiful view of the Potomac River. Yes, the historic Potomac River: the “Nation’s River.” Occasional helicopters flew by. I looked eagerly towards the river expecting to perhaps see Marine One. That is, apparently, any United States Marine Corps (USMC) aircraft that the President is on. It was a sunny Wednesday afternoon. The ambiance was pleasant and peaceful. That particular moment was a moment of reflection and deep mindfulness. I was soaking it all in and eagerly awaiting what came next.
Students & Teachers Rush To Play Election Lab Online (ELO)
Minutes later, attendees who have been patiently waiting in the hallway, entered the room to explore and experience firsthand, some of our innovations.
As soon as the doors opened up, two smiling girls, one in 7th and another one in 8th grade, approached our station wanting to play Election Lab Online (ELO).
As they started playing the game, students were excited, sharing their impressions out loud:
“I like this!”
“The design is interesting.”
“The game looks so fun.”
“Instructions are very clear.”
Election Lab Online (ELO) Gameplay Observation & Gratitude
I stood behind the players and quietly observed. What I heard and saw brought captivating music to my ears and peaceful joy to my heart. My brain was racing.
INSIGHT 1:
“We are onto something good. Hooray!”
INSIGHT 2:
It is deeply meaningful to witness your innovation and the product of your creativity having a positive and deep effect on its users. i.e. in this case: students/players. I was proud of my amazing team and felt deep gratitude.
Election Lab Online (ELO): Interactive & Experiential Learning
Our approach to education and learning is interactive and experiential. Our ELO learning game aims to educate about the Electoral College, Swing State strategies, and data literacy. Our ultimate goal is to increase electoral college knowledge, critical thinking skills, data science, and STEM literacy while decreasing cognitive bias.
Election Lab Online (ELO): Students Express Their Excitement
Students cheered when they won a Swing State and frowned when they lost.
Seeing their excitement, teachers joined them and observed. Curiously, one of the teachers asked: “What is your strategy?”
“I put my resources on higher states”, one of the students answered.
Then immersed, she continued to play:
“Hahahaha again!” one of the students exclaimed winning yet another Swing State, with lots of excitement.
“Dice are cool.”
“I love it!”
“I have 226 electoral votes.
You have 228!
We are so close, again.”
“I love this game.”
“This is so engaging.”
“I am winning!!!”
“I like this.”
“It is very interactive with 2 people playing each other.”
“It teaches you about the election.
“I won!” the winner exclaimed.
“Oh, no no!!!” the one who lost said.
“I want to play again!”
Election Lab Online (ELO): An Authentic Simulation of US Presidential Swing State Strategies
“It is the things we play with and the people who help us play that make a great difference in our lives.” Fred Rogers (1928 – 2003).
Election Lab Online is an authentic simulation of real-life strategies that candidates need to win the U.S. Presidency.
OBSERVATION And LESSON LEARNED: ENGAGEMENT
There are so many lessons and so many ELO life lessons learned, even from this brief games-play observation.
Observation: Engagement
When we are engaged, we learn better.
ELO Design Lesson:
ELO provides students with a hands-on activity that is innovative, and challenging but also purposeful. All these: innovation, challenge, purpose, and hands-on activity, make students extremely engaged in learning (and winning) the US Presidential race.
OBSERVATION & LESSON LEARNED: COMPETITION
Competition is a good thing. When we compete, we discover what we are capable of. Competition forces us to do our best.
ELO Lesson:
When players compete to win the Swing States they learn about the electoral college, which states matter, and how to play different strategies to win. They use their brains; they make meaningful decisions, and they learn when and how to win.
OBSERVATION & LESSON LEARNED: RESILIENCE
In competitions and games, you cannot have two winners: one wins and the other one loses.
But independent of winning or losing, it is most important that every time we learn. And if we lose, we get up, try again, play again, test different approaches and different strategies, and try to win next time.
ELO Design Lesson:
When someone loses, they should be motivated to play again and try to win (by having a different strategy).
OBSERVATION & LESSON LEARNED: LEARNING
Life is not about winning all the time. Life is about learning.
ELO life lesson:
That is one of the beauties of playing this innovative game. It simulates real situations and lets you learn, without real-life consequences.
More players stopped by: young, old, middle school and high school, for-profit, and not-for-profit leaders and policymakers.
POSITIVE SIDE OF GAMING: Reward, Accomplishment & Fun
“Education should learn from the positive side of gaming – reward, accomplishment, and fun.” Sebastian Thrun
“It was fun!”, we repeatedly heard.
That is what education should be all about: let students/players accomplish something, receive rewards, and above all have fun!
ARE THE DICE FAIR? IS LIFE FAIR OR UNFAIR?
Some players thought that dice were unfair.
(Psst. They are not. It is all a matter of statistics and chances and probabilities -just like in real life. It’s another valuable life lesson).
“I should have won faster!”
Maybe. Your winning the Presidential Election (or anything else in life, for that matter) is not only dependent on your strategy. It also depends on what the other side (your opponent) does. Sometimes, what the other side does is even more important, as it directly affects you.
Just like in real life: we are all interdependent both in good and bad ways.
If you could read your opponent’s mind, you could adjust your strategy accordingly 😊
But, most of the time you can’t.
So, let’s get back to dice. Now understanding this, it becomes more clear what dice represent in the game: uncertainty.
Dice adds a specific amount of uncertainty into clearly defined probabilities for each state-by-state battle in our game.
IF YOU CARE ABOUT SOMETHING, YOU LEARN BETTER
“You learn at your best when you have something you care about and can get pleasure in being engaged in.” Howard Gardner
“I like it.
I liked how competitive it was” we repeatedly heard.
Players enjoyed it. They had fun. They were engaged. They learned.
Many students learn best by doing. ELO lets you do just that: learn by doing. It is immersive learning, and the more you learn, the more you care.
ADULTS LOVE PLAYING GAMES, TOO
Besides several students playing the game, adults showed a great interest, too.
Steve, a professional with a background in history, took a systematic approach to deploying his resources:
“I need to spend my resources wisely!” He declared it loudly.
“Pennsylvania blew me out of the water!”
“You put nothing on Arizona!”
“What was I thinking? That is an example of poor management of resources.”
“Holly c’amolly!
You put 5 on Georgia?!”
“I bet big!!” 😊 the other player smilingly replied.
“I put only 1 on New Hampshire.”
“You will win it!”
“Sheer virtue on my part!”
“I put nothing there.”
“I have almost no gas in the tank.”
At the end of another thrilling and competitive game, filled with surprising twists and turns regarding who won (or lost) the Swing State, Steve exclaimed:
“I like this game.
I like playing it head-to-head.
I like our dialogue, too.
No calculation but talking.”
“And all calculation is done for you. What a great mini statistics lab.”
CONCLUSION: WE WORK HARD. WE MAKE A WORLD A BETTER PLACE
At the end of the long afternoon, all I could think was: “WOW!”
I was tired, yet so happy.
The fruits of our extremely hard work showed in what we just witnessed: the excitement, engagement, and learning that took place.
Every day we wake up in the morning wanting to make the world a better place.
After today’s experience, we felt validated.
We are making it a better place.
When that happens, we all win.
Jasminka Vukanovic-Criley MD, FACP, FHM is a multiple award-winning physician, from cancer researcher, internal medicine physician, and Medical School Associate Clinical Professor to entrepreneur. She has mentored many undergraduate, graduate, and postgraduate students and faculty. She is the Principal Investigator on studies from the National Institutes of Health and the U.S. Department of Education creating research-driven #edtech games and digital media to improve health, civics, science education, and healthy habits. Dr Criley is also a founding Board member of Physician’s Weekly. She can be reached on X at @criley_md and at www.linkedin.com/in/jasminka-criley-md